Wake Forest Law alumna and Democrat Kay Hagan (’78) beat out U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole on Tuesday to become North Carolina’s newest U.S. senator. The race for Dole’s seat gained nationwide attention as the state senator from Greensboro received backing from the national Democratic Party in her successful attempt to unseat Dole.

Hagan beat Dole 51 percent to 43 percent. Dole, who won her Senate seat in 2002, was the first female U.S. senator from North Carolina.

Hagan, who is 55, rose through the ranks of the General Assembly to become one of North Carolina’s chief budget writers.

“What we were able to accomplish in a little more than a year is a testament to how hungry people are for change,” Hagan told the enthusiastic crowd during her acceptance speech at the Greensboro Coliseum.

In other election news, there was a reception in Worrell on Nov. 5 for faculty member and alumna Suzanne Reynolds (’77) who narrowly lost her bid for Bob Edmunds seat on the N.C. Supreme Court 49 percent to 51 percent.

Other law school alumni were successful in their election bids across the state including Forsyth County District Court Judge Victoria Roemer (’85) who beat out Kelly Patterson, another Wake Forest School of Law alumna (’98), by 52 percent to 48 percent. Roemer has been a District Court judge since 1996.

N.C. Appeals Court Chief Judge John C. Martin (’67), was running unopposed, as was Marshall Bickett (’78), who retained his seat as District Court judge in Rowan County.

John William Totten II (’86) were elected as District Court judges for Mecklenburg County. And Anna Worley (’96) was elected as a Wake County District Court Judge, 10th judicial district.

Marshall Bickett (’78) ran unopposed and was elected district court judge in Rowan County and Arnold Jones (’89) was elected senior resident superior court judge for District 8B in North Carolina for an eight-year term.